SC constitutional bench in houbara bustards case dissolved

The Supreme Court's (SC) constitutional bench, tasked with hearing the case against the hunting of Taloor (Houbara Bustards), was dissolved after Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail excused himself from the case. 

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Justice Mandokhail cited prior involvement in a related case at the Balochistan High Court (BHC) as the reason for his recusal.

During an earlier hearing on Tuesday, the five-member constitutional bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, had taken up the matter. Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman informed the court that the concept of Houbara Bustard hunting is akin to trophy hunting for the Markhor. 

Justice Jamal Mandokhail, however, pointed out the differences between Houbara Bustard hunting and Ibex trophy hunting. Justice Musarrat Hilali highlighted that Houbara Bustards are migratory birds.

--Panama scandal case--

In a separate case concerning the Panama scandal, the Supreme Court constitutional bench disposed of Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) petition after the party agreed to approach the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for further investigation.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Justice Musarrat Hilali questioned the status of cases related to the Panama scandal, pointing out that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had been formed for a specific case, while the fate of other cases remained unclear.

Justice Jamal Mandokhail remarked that NAB could take action based on information provided and suggested that if NAB fails to act, the High Court, rather than the Supreme Court, should be approached for relief.

The Jamaat-e-Islami's counsel urged NAB to initiate investigations, citing the precedent of a Supreme Court-formed JIT in the Panama case. 

However, the NAB Deputy Prosecutor informed the constitutional bench that no such request had yet been filed with the bureau.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori